he surge in fandom for Formula One has had the added benefit of increased publication of racing–related books. There has always been a market for drivers’ (auto)biographies, insider accounts of life in the pitlane, or histories of the greatest races, but this market was decidedly niche in the United States, though less so in the United Kingdom. Now, with commentators, drivers, and even mechanics becoming household names, the publishing world is racing to meet the demand of an increasingly interested public.
Early last year I highlighted “The Formula” by the Wall Street Journal’s Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, which earned a spot on my “best books of the year” list. To close out last year and usher in the new one, I’m highlighting five books about Formula One, each of which adds their own take on the fastest sport on four wheels. After an incredibly competitive 2024 season which saw Max Verstappen win his fourth driver’s championship and McLaren win their first constructor’s championship in 26 years, picking up any (or indeed all) of these books will hold fans over until the 2025 season, which starts in less than one hundred days.
“How to Read F1” by BBC 5 Live F1 Pit Lane Reporter Jennie Gow is an A to Z of the sport. Gow, who suffered from a stroke in December 2022, wrote the book as part of her recovery, and shows she is back in fine form. Filled with fun anecdotes about drivers and tracks, engineering lexicon, and more, “How to Read F1” is a light–hearted, swift read that is a great entry point for new fans of the sport, but long–time fans will find it just as enjoyable. I had intended to read it in small chunks, but ended up reading it at a pace that surely would have me in pole positioning for qualifying. That Gow wrote this book, persevering through her stroke recovery, including struggling with dyslexia brought on by the incident, makes the book even more impressive.
Bernie Collins’ “How to Win a Grand Prix” is part memoir and part insider account, all viewed through her keen strategist eye. Collins, herself a former race strategist for multiple teams and now a commentator, recounts her experiences on and off the track, from the thrilling race day battles to the more mundane, and decidedly less glamorous aspects of life on an increasingly lengthy F1 calendar—come for the tire strategy, stay for the frustrations about thin pillows and laundry frustrations.
Collins’ book really shines in the later chapters where she unpacks how to win a F1 race, taking readers into each aspect of the race weekend, including the innumerable strategic decision points that affect on–track performance (and the data that goes into each), and what goes into a year on the track, from the pre–season testing to the post–season de–briefs and everything in between. The most technically complex of these five books, it will leave readers and fans with a much deeper appreciation of what is happening on track.
Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal and fan favorite, returns with “Unfiltered,” a look at his last 10 years in Formula One, including as the driving force behind the creation of the Haas—the only American team currently on the grid. Steiner’s candor is on full display as he recounts how he worked to gain entry through the locked doors of Formula One, a process now underway by what has become Cadillac Formula Racing. If you enjoyed Steiner’s first book “Surviving to Drive,” you will enjoy “Unfiltered.” If you aren’t a fan of Steiner and his unique personality, you are not likely to have your mind changed by his second book. In addition to the creation of Haas, Steiner covers the ups and mostly downs of the team’s fortunes, which ironically have turned around somewhat since his departure as team principal last season.
Fans of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” will be more familiar with the face of Will Buxton, a motorsport broadcaster and commentator for F1, who has appeared in several episodes over the seasons. On the show Buxton offers both shrewd but at times unintentionally comedic platitudes (one suspects this is down to the editing of the show more than anything else). His book “Grand Prix” is a sort of coffee table book in miniature, offering an illustrated history of Formula One from the first winners to Verstappen. Covering the past, present, and future of the sport, Buxton’s book takes a different racing line than the others in this grid line–up, offering a rich visual accompaniment to his excellent storytelling, taking readers from the factory floor to the grid wall on race day.
Matt Whyman’s “Inside Mercedes F1” is the only book of the five reviewed that is not written by an F1 insider, and it shows in his enthusiasm and fly–on–the–wall observational style. Granted unprecedented access to Mercedes F1, Whyman goes everywhere, sees everything, and talks to everyone across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That outsider perspective is particularly welcome. Gow, Collins, Steiner, and Buxton all bring their superb insider insight and expertise, but Whyman captures things that are de rigueur for those steeped in the lore and operations of F1, but are sure to be interesting to the lay reader and fan.
Whyman also captures what makes a F1 team a team—everyone from the designers to the mechanics, the media team, to the drivers. Everyone focuses, of course, on the drivers; It is hard not to with a stellar line–up, including the greatest driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton (who recently departed to Ferrari) and George Russell—and the team boss, Toto Wolff. Yet it is the individual contributions that make or break a team, something captured by Whyman, especially across a particularly trying season when the team was underperforming.
If the 2024 season was one of the most competitive and entertaining in recent memory, the forthcoming one looks to be even more so with four teams potentially in contention for the Constructors’ Championship—Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull—and multiple drivers entering the season on top form. Each of these books adds more richness and depth to what is already an amazing sport and would find a welcome home on any fan’s shelf, especially with as exciting and competitive as next year looks set to become.
a global affairs media network
Racing into the new year
Photo by Jonathan Borba via Pexels.
January 4, 2025
Eager to learn about the global phenomenon of Formula One racing? Our book reviewer, Joshua Huminski, is here with a set of reads to get you up to speed.
T
he surge in fandom for Formula One has had the added benefit of increased publication of racing–related books. There has always been a market for drivers’ (auto)biographies, insider accounts of life in the pitlane, or histories of the greatest races, but this market was decidedly niche in the United States, though less so in the United Kingdom. Now, with commentators, drivers, and even mechanics becoming household names, the publishing world is racing to meet the demand of an increasingly interested public.
Early last year I highlighted “The Formula” by the Wall Street Journal’s Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, which earned a spot on my “best books of the year” list. To close out last year and usher in the new one, I’m highlighting five books about Formula One, each of which adds their own take on the fastest sport on four wheels. After an incredibly competitive 2024 season which saw Max Verstappen win his fourth driver’s championship and McLaren win their first constructor’s championship in 26 years, picking up any (or indeed all) of these books will hold fans over until the 2025 season, which starts in less than one hundred days.
“How to Read F1” by BBC 5 Live F1 Pit Lane Reporter Jennie Gow is an A to Z of the sport. Gow, who suffered from a stroke in December 2022, wrote the book as part of her recovery, and shows she is back in fine form. Filled with fun anecdotes about drivers and tracks, engineering lexicon, and more, “How to Read F1” is a light–hearted, swift read that is a great entry point for new fans of the sport, but long–time fans will find it just as enjoyable. I had intended to read it in small chunks, but ended up reading it at a pace that surely would have me in pole positioning for qualifying. That Gow wrote this book, persevering through her stroke recovery, including struggling with dyslexia brought on by the incident, makes the book even more impressive.
Bernie Collins’ “How to Win a Grand Prix” is part memoir and part insider account, all viewed through her keen strategist eye. Collins, herself a former race strategist for multiple teams and now a commentator, recounts her experiences on and off the track, from the thrilling race day battles to the more mundane, and decidedly less glamorous aspects of life on an increasingly lengthy F1 calendar—come for the tire strategy, stay for the frustrations about thin pillows and laundry frustrations.
Collins’ book really shines in the later chapters where she unpacks how to win a F1 race, taking readers into each aspect of the race weekend, including the innumerable strategic decision points that affect on–track performance (and the data that goes into each), and what goes into a year on the track, from the pre–season testing to the post–season de–briefs and everything in between. The most technically complex of these five books, it will leave readers and fans with a much deeper appreciation of what is happening on track.
Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal and fan favorite, returns with “Unfiltered,” a look at his last 10 years in Formula One, including as the driving force behind the creation of the Haas—the only American team currently on the grid. Steiner’s candor is on full display as he recounts how he worked to gain entry through the locked doors of Formula One, a process now underway by what has become Cadillac Formula Racing. If you enjoyed Steiner’s first book “Surviving to Drive,” you will enjoy “Unfiltered.” If you aren’t a fan of Steiner and his unique personality, you are not likely to have your mind changed by his second book. In addition to the creation of Haas, Steiner covers the ups and mostly downs of the team’s fortunes, which ironically have turned around somewhat since his departure as team principal last season.
Fans of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” will be more familiar with the face of Will Buxton, a motorsport broadcaster and commentator for F1, who has appeared in several episodes over the seasons. On the show Buxton offers both shrewd but at times unintentionally comedic platitudes (one suspects this is down to the editing of the show more than anything else). His book “Grand Prix” is a sort of coffee table book in miniature, offering an illustrated history of Formula One from the first winners to Verstappen. Covering the past, present, and future of the sport, Buxton’s book takes a different racing line than the others in this grid line–up, offering a rich visual accompaniment to his excellent storytelling, taking readers from the factory floor to the grid wall on race day.
Matt Whyman’s “Inside Mercedes F1” is the only book of the five reviewed that is not written by an F1 insider, and it shows in his enthusiasm and fly–on–the–wall observational style. Granted unprecedented access to Mercedes F1, Whyman goes everywhere, sees everything, and talks to everyone across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That outsider perspective is particularly welcome. Gow, Collins, Steiner, and Buxton all bring their superb insider insight and expertise, but Whyman captures things that are de rigueur for those steeped in the lore and operations of F1, but are sure to be interesting to the lay reader and fan.
Whyman also captures what makes a F1 team a team—everyone from the designers to the mechanics, the media team, to the drivers. Everyone focuses, of course, on the drivers; It is hard not to with a stellar line–up, including the greatest driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton (who recently departed to Ferrari) and George Russell—and the team boss, Toto Wolff. Yet it is the individual contributions that make or break a team, something captured by Whyman, especially across a particularly trying season when the team was underperforming.
If the 2024 season was one of the most competitive and entertaining in recent memory, the forthcoming one looks to be even more so with four teams potentially in contention for the Constructors’ Championship—Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull—and multiple drivers entering the season on top form. Each of these books adds more richness and depth to what is already an amazing sport and would find a welcome home on any fan’s shelf, especially with as exciting and competitive as next year looks set to become.
